


freedom

by Lolamz



Category: Slay the Spire (Video Game)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-22
Updated: 2020-07-22
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:28:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25449130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lolamz/pseuds/Lolamz
Kudos: 6





	1. the defect

Combat automaton D3CT was the strongest droid known to the world. Capable of manipulating magical orbs, to harness the mystical elements such as lightning, frost, darkness and plasma (not to be confused with the fundamental elements of fire, water, and earth and air). In addition to this, they were highly skilled in hand to hand combat, and was able to shoot high powered beams out of cells in their fingers, or a larger, more powerful one from their eyes. The only issue with an automaton that was capable of all of this, was that they needed instructions from a leader. The leader in question, happened to be a corrupt dictator, known as the Collecter whose only desire was world domination.

However, following an attack on the Collector’s palace, D3CT lay dormant in the deepest, darkest dungeon, for failing to abide by orders. At least, that was what they told the guards. In reality, the Collector was scared, for D3CT was gaining instances of self awareness. The powerful, yet curious AI that had been embedded since day one, was finally showing its true colours.

**  
A few days had passed, and D3CT still lay inactive in the dungeon, its power core lay mere metres out of reach. However, somebody, or rather somebodies, had also been thrown in the D3CT. a Silent huntress, armed to the teeth with daggers, knives, and poison vials. And an Ironclad warrior, with glowing red eyes, and a broadsword as large as themself. They both lay chained to the walls, unconscious.

The Ironclad was the first to awaken. They scanned their surroundings and realized they were trapped. Thinking quickly, they focused and closed their eyes momentarily, channeling their inner demon. Their eyes began to glow as they were reopened, and with an almighty clash, their chains fell to the floor as he forced them off. This clash was what woke the Silent. “What do you think you’re doing?!” She hissed. Contrary to what you may think, she wasn't actually silent, it was a nickname given to her as she Silently hunts down her foes.   
“Getting us out of here,” replied the Ironclad, smashing the chains that held the Silent captive. “We should hurry, before Collector finds us.”

They both rushed to the cell door. Silent began to slowly pick the lock, careful as to not alert the approaching guards. “Iron! Cause a distraction, don't let them see me!” She whispered.  
The guards checked on the cell. They saw Ironclad pacing back and forth, punching the air like a boxer. “Look at this fool, punching the air!” One of the guards said.  
Ironclad turned to face them, eyes glowing. “Run while you still can, or i will turn your last days into an eternal nightmare.” Their voice was layered deep with demonic magic.   
“Oh yeah?” The guards taunted “you and what arm-“  
They were cut off as shivs struck their sternums, penetrating straight through vital organs. “Nice distraction.” Commented the Silent. They both dashed to the door.

“Wait!” Called Ironclad, “what about that auto over there? Should we fix it?”  
“What? No! Its gonna kill us if we do that!” Argues the Silent. Ironclad was having none of it. He rushed over to the robot and jammed its core back into its place. The robot awoke and slowly rose to its feet, eyes glowing a bright, friendly blue.   
“Look, see, it wasn't that bad, was it now?” Said Ironclad, patronising the Silent, who stood a safe distance away.  
But as he said this, D3CT dived at him, knocking him clean over. Its eye turned a deep crimson -eradication- and 3 lightning orbs flew out from its back.  
“Oh no you dont!” Shouted Silent, as she rushed over and ripped open the protective case around the OS.  
The eyes shifted to purple as it threw a punch into ironclads chest, which he masterfully blocked with his broadsword.  
Silent began tearing away at the motherboard, ripping out all of the corrupt tech that the Collector had placed in.

The eye changed to a light shade of blue, as it stood up straight, leaving ironclad alone  
“Who are you?” Asked Ironclad   
The robot remained silent.  
“Its an automaton genius, it won't talk.” Silent replied.  
“How about it joins us?” Suggested Ironclad, before addressing the robot, “ahem, I mean, how would you like to join us? We kill evil and take the loot.”  
The eye shifted to a sunset pink, indicating their excitement for the adventure.  
“The bot still needs a name though, i was thinking D3, but you’re the brains here, i think you should come up with one.” he said, nodding at the silent.  
“What do you think of Defect, yknow, cus you’re defective, and you defected from your old leader in pursuit of adventure, with us.” suggested silent.  
“Defect, yeah, i like that.” ironclad replied. “Come on, we gotta get out of here, adventure beckons us all!” he announced.


	2. taking the championship

Upon exiting the dungeon, the unlikely trio found themselves in a rundown area of the City. people were rushing back into their homes as the bell in the tower chimed over and over again, signalling the end of the working day. “Ah, nightfall, my favourite,” said silent, a hint of excitement in her voice. “The perfect time to strike.” they hid behind a brewery while all the citizens hurried into their homes. Fires were lit, food was cooking atop, and the sound of conversation and laughter filled each and every house. 

The slums were not all that bad. Granted yes, if you were to ask any of the residents if they wanted to move, at least 95 percent of them would say yes, but to them the slums were a home. A place where a spirit of family and warmth resided inside each and every one of them. During the daytime, children would play games in the streets, ducking and dodging the carts that dashed through them, while the father went out to work, and the mothers went to the market to buy the ingredients for the evening meal. It was a humble life, yet they enjoyed every day of it.

“Man, this takes me back,” ironclad began, “I used to live in the slums. It wasn't the greatest place to live but it was home. Then i got called up. The king needed me in the army to fight the oncoming hordes. It didn’t end well. I was captured, torture-”  
“We get it, you had a hard past, so you sold your soul to get revenge. Cool. now can we focus?” silent interrupted.  
Upon hearing about ironclad’s traumatic past, Defect approached him, intentions unknown.  
“What do you want bot?” he snapped. Defect clapped his hands, and in his palms, a plasma orb appeared. He gestured for ironclad to pick it up. “The hell is this?” he said, curious. As he picked it up, Ironclad became energised. His spirits lifted and his wounds healed. 

**  
The slayers moved through the town with haste and stealth, hiding in shadows, and ducking into cover to avoid the searchlights of the watchmen. Ironclad was never used to speed, or stealth. He preferred to approach his foes head on, rushing them with brute strength. But the group had a job: kill the Collector, and to do that he must follow in Silent’s footsteps, both literally and metaphorically. They arrived at the town plaza, in saw the grand gates to the collector’s palace in front of them. Without prior warning, ironclad grabbed both of them and dived into a nearby bush, taking them both with him. “What the hell Iron?” silent said through gritted teeth as to mask her sound.   
“It's the champ, he works for the collector, and he's unstoppable.”  
“By that do you mean he's unstoppable?, or you can't stop him?”  
“I can't stop him, but if I can't, I highly doubt you can.” ironclad replied.  
“Then we face him together,” silent said, “now get his attention, and I will sneak up on him from behind.”  
“Defect,” called ironclad. The robot looked up, “show us what you’re made of.”

“OI! Fatface!” ironclad yelled.  
“Ah, if it isn't the spot on the floor, as insignificant as ever.” the champ taunted, “remind me why I shouldn't crush you right now?”  
“Because im not alone.” ironclad said, a smirk growing behind his mask. As he said this, silent threw a bouncing flask towards him. Ironclad grabbed this flask, and with his demon strength, threw is right into the champs face, shattering it, and pouring deadly toxins into his respiratory system.   
“You think a bit of gas will stop ME?!” he shouted, before charging at Ironclad. Ironclad focused, building his strength, as the champ came closer and closer. He opened his eyes and swung his heavy blade. It struck chams chest with a brutal, sheer impact, sending champ stumbling to the side. “You call that a weapon? This is a weapon!” he shouted, unsheathing his sword and removing his shield from behind his back, before standing ready. “COME AT ME THEN!!” he encouraged.  
Silent took the opportunity, while the shield was off his back, to sink 3 shivs into his back, one of which had been cursed with decay, which slowly tore Champ apart from the inside. “GAH!! You dare try to kill me! I NEVER DIE!!!” he yelled, enraged at the thought of defeat. He turned and grabbed the silent, before throwing her at Ironclad, knocking them both clean over. He then charged at them again with intent to kill. “NOW YOU’RE FINISHED!” he screamed.

As if on cue, the defect rose from the shadows, with three frost orbs orbiting him. As he clasped his right hand closed, one frost orb was evoked, creating a wall of ice between his friends and the Champ, stopping him dead in his tracks. This gave him time to help his friends to his feet. Ironclad’s eyes were glowing bright red, as he channeled more hell-power and set his sword alight with destructive force. “No, you’re finished” said ironcad, confidence brimming as their voice became enchanted with demonic energies.” Defect channeled the other two frost orb, which began to encase Champ into an icy prison.  
“DEFEAT?! IMPOSSIBLE!!” Champ bellowed, struggling to free himself from the glacial trap. Silent channeled her wraith form, and floated up to the Champ, before letting loose a terrifying scream, inspiring fear into the Champ. “What?! I cant- no-, help, Help! HELP!!!” he became overwhelmed with fear as his confidence fell from him. Ironclad channeled his demon form, releasing a demonic roar, as his physical form was set alight, purging all weakness from him, he then charged straight at the champ, who was frozen in place with both fear and ice. Defect channeled their echo form, before fuelling their capacitor and activating their electrodynamics, filling all 6 of their orbs with lightning, before unleashing them one by one, as Ironclad lay a devastating blow to the Champs head, crushing his helmet and skull like a burning sword through paper.

Ironclad set the fire wood alight with his burning blade, as the gang took shelter inside an unused house by the town centre. They all needed lots of rest, for channeling inner forms was very exhausting on both the mind and body. Tomorrow, they take the Collector.


	3. Chapter 3

The following morning, the gang approached the gate to the collectors palace, while all the citizens were too busy celebrating the death of the champ, who made their lives a misery. Silent began to pick the lock of the gate. “Hmm, a quad-tier lock. I can't pick this, you guys wanna help me out here?” Defect channeled and evoked a frost orb, freezing the gate, as ironclad shattered the frozen gate with an anger fused punch. “Thanks guys.” said SIlent.

The trio entered the palace. It was dark and dingy the whole place had an ominous tone to it, as if it were haunted. They knew that the collector would be in the basement, as that was where his throne room was. They cautiously walked down the stairs, which lead to the room.  
As ironclad took the first step down, his foot caught the end of a tripwire, which caused the ceiling to slowly come down upon them, like a compressor. The gang dashed down a flight of stairs, leading to the basement, yet the further down they went, the more endless the stars seemed. “This is hopeless!” said Silent, with the intention of giving up, yet the other two immediately shut down her pessimism. “No it is not! We have come this far! You can't give it up now!” argued ironclad.  
“I have too! There is no way we get out of this. It's clearly a time loop, with the ceiling coming down at us, we can't stop it. This is it iron, the adventure ends here.” she said solemnly. Defect approached them both, and used the last of their energy to channel to plasma orbs, before beckoning them to continue without him.  
“Thank you Defect, we will avenge you” said ironclad, fusing the plasma to his demon soul.  
“Yes, thank you, this means so much, and we will be forever in your debt.” said the silent, as they both hurried down the stairs. Defect, turned to face the collapsing stairs, and channeled three frost orbs, which they used to create a solid block of ice, preventing the staircase from closing any further. They then collapsed, power core failing.

The duo entered the throne room, and saw the collector sat on his throne, throwing and catching a skull in his hand. “I've seen that skull before” said silent.  
“Oh, of course you have,” said the collector, standing up, their voice was layered with what seemed to be modulators, to help mask their real identity, “I stole it after my army raided your sisters hunting camp. I must admit, for a group of hunters, you really didn't put up a fight.” the taunt went straight to the silents head.   
“I KNEW IT WAS YOU! YOU FILTHY MURDERING BASTARD!!” She screamed, before channeling her wraith form and throwing dagger after dagger at him.  
“Thats enough of you now,” collector said calmy, batting a had towards her. However, the hand went straight through silent, as she was intangible as he swung for her. She took this time to stab him with two decay knives, feeding poison into his blood.”

While all this was happening, ironclad was using the time that silent was enraged to focus. This was going to be the toughest fight of his afterlife. It was all on the line. If they were to slay this evil, there would be no more evil. This seemed to be enough to trigger his demon form to be channeled once again. And as silent’s wraith form began to wear out, she slowly became more apparent, collector threw her to the side like a piece of trash.  
“Now you, soldier. I've killed you once, i will do it again.” The voice was casting spells of darkness, which ironclad ducked and dodged with lightning like reflexes. The spells ricocheted up the staircase, never to be seen again.  
“This ones for my friends!” Shouted ironclad as he swung his blade and gouged it deep into the collector’s side. “This ones for my family!” as another wild strike flew straight into his chest.  
“And this one will send you to hell, where i will torture you forever,” he said, his tone darkened with fury as his eyes glowed a deep crimson as he sheathed his regular blade and sunmoned his demon sword and stabbed it deep into the previous chest wound, puncturing the heart, which bled out a deep purple.

“You're forgetting one major thing here soldier,” taunted the collector as he stood up, “you can't slay evil without evil.” He threw ironclad to the ground and picked up the demon sword. “Forged with the blood of its kills, let's add two more shall we?” He shouted as he swung at the duo.

The strike was blocked. Silent looked up and saw Defect, holding the sword back with one hand, and a darkness orb in the other. “Defect! You’re alive!” She gasped.  
“How can this be?” Collector yelled. Defect crushed the darkness orb in his hand, and used the strength to overpower Collector, and tear the sword out of his hand. He then threw it to Ironclad, along with a plasma orb, before giving silent a plasma orb too.

While the two of them healed, defect consumed four more darkness orbs, before standing in the blood stain from collectors heart. This allowed him to siphon the darkness from it, and channel it into his runic capacitors. With ten darkness orbs at his disposal, he slowly levitated to eye level with the collector. “HOW ARE YOU ALIVE! You’re a robot! You can't survive evil!” Screamed the collector, in denial of what he saw.

“I am no robot,” the defect spoke clearly and crisply, despite the corruption flowing through and around him. “I am a defect.” And with those words uttered, all ten orbs were consumed at once, and the internal core began charging up.   
“You WILL never slay me! You cannot! You are weak! You are feeble! You are frail!” Shouted the collector, backing away from the defect, with terror in his eyes.  
“And you are slain.” Said the defect, before channeling his echo form and firing a hyper beam, which consumed the collector in a massive wave of energy. The screams of pain echoed throughout the chamber as the collector vanished from sight.

*  
The trio exited the palace, and were greeted with a crowd of townsfolk. They were cheering and celebrating as the collectors reign of terror had fallen. They were free. The previous royal family if the town came over, and thanked them for freeing their city. “We are forever in debt to you. Please, let us give you something to show our gratitude, fame, wealth, royalties, anything!”

Over the next few days, the slayers took on their own futures as king, queen, and prince of the spire. Silent began to train a new generation of hunters, ones who would take her place in the distant future. The defect mastered the art of orbs, and found new and more unique ways to cast, channel, and evoke his powers. And Ironclad stuck by his word and, with permission from the devil himself, sent the collector into a time loop of his own death. An execution by execution, if you will. Even though they were all royalty and had a kingdom to rule, that didn't stop them going off on adventures, slaying those with evil intent.


End file.
